Automatic car-coupling.



PATENTED JULY 9, 1907- S J. w. EARTH. AUTOMATIG OAR COUPLING.

APPLIOATiON FILED SEPT. 28, 1906.

2 SHEETS-BEBE?! 1.

INVENTOR. 0 61i. 4; @9

WITNESSES.

No. 859,279. PATENTED JULY 9, 1907.

J. W. BABTH. AUTOMATIC CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. Z B,1906,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WQBARTH, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COUPLING.

- Application filed fieptsmber 28,1906. Serial No. 336,602.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. BARTH, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to automatic car couplers and the object is to provide an automatic coupler of simple, cheap and strong constructionand having only three main parts, namelyzthe coupler head, the knuckle and the locking pin, and the parts being so arranged that the locking pin when raised sufficiently to unlock the knuckle will automatically set so as not to again drop to locked position even though the cars do not immediately pull apart, and which upon being elevated to the full height will serve to throw the knuckle open.

A further object of the inventionis to provide a coupler so constructed that it will lock when presented to the companion coupler at a decided angle, thus enabling couplings to be made on very sharp curves.

In the use of automatic car couplers it has long been recognized to be of advantage to throw the-knuckle open by merely drawing up on the locking pin so as to avoid the necessity of the brakeman stepping in front of the car. Numerous arrangements have heretofore I been provided for effecting this result but as far as I know such arrangements either necessitated the use of additional parts which added to the complication and weight of the coupler and generally are of weak construction, or else it necessitated a peculiar form of locking member, difiicult of operation, expensive to make' and withal weak. It is also desirable that after raising the locking pin is should set itself automatically so as not to again drop to locking position in order that if the cars do not immediately pull apart the brakeman need not retain hold of the unlocking lever but can at once pass on to some other place. Various schemes have also been used for, accomplishing this result, many of whichnecess'itated an extra part pivoted to the locking pin. It is also desirable that the couplers should automatically lock on sharp curves, such as occur on the tracks leading into manufacturing and other plants. The Master Car Builders design, however, is such. that when couplers are presented to each other at a decided angle, the knuckle tail is not forced inwardly sufliciently to permit the looking {into drop. Hence on sharp curves, as in manufacturing plants, it is frequently necessary to make thecouplingsby means of a link and pins in order to enable the cars to be pulled out on to a straight track,- when the link and pins are removed and the coupling made in the usual way. This not only wastes time but is also dangerous to the trainman making the link and pin coupling.

The present invention involves a standard automatic coupler of the Master Car Builders design having all Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented July 9,1907.

of the advantages above specified and in which the locking pin is of simple, solid and strong construction, 7 and has a simple vertical movement by means of which the several results are accomplished. No extra parts are provided to complicate and weaken the coupler.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved coupler; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showing two couplers as they lock on sharp curves; Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 4-4, Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is 'a transverse section on the line 5,5, Fig. 2,

showing the knuckle fully locked; Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the preliminary locking; Fig. 7. is a perspective view oi the knuckle, showing the same upside down; Fig. 8 is a similar view of the locking pin; and Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99, Fig. 8.

The drawings show an automatic coupler oi the Mas ter Car Builders type having the usual head 1 provided with a shank 2 for attaching the same to the draw bar, and-two horns 3 and 4. to the former of which the knuckle 5 is pivoted by means of the pin 6. The head is recessed to provide a roof 7 and floor 8. The knuckle is provided with a tail 9 having a segmental end 10 which is shown in the form of an arm which, when the knuckle is locked, extends out through an opening 11 in the draw head and forms in effect a hook to prevent the knuckle from pulling out in case the pin 6 should break. v

The roof 7 and'floor 8 of the head are provided withalining openings 12 and 13 in which works the locking pin 14. The latter is of a simple, solid construction having at its upper end the substantial rectangular locking portion 15 and at its lower end the guiding portion 16. The opening in the roof is rectangular in shape and the pin is accurately guided and firmly held in the head. It is adapted to be raised by any suitable mechanism, such as the chain 17.

Below the locking portion 15 the pin is cut away so as to form a recess 18 which permits the tail of the knuckle to freely pass thepin when the latter is raised sufficiently for the locking portion 15 to ,clear the knuckle taiL; This recess also provides a shoulder 20 which rides on the knuckle tail and holds the pin elevated when the knuckle is open.

Below the recess 18 is a projecting portion 21, preferably an inclinedshoulder as shown, which, when the pin is pulled to the full extent upwardly. engages an inclined face 22 on the bottom of'the segmental knuckle tail, the effect of this contact being to throw the knuck-le to open position. p

The lower part of the locking portion 15 of the pin is cut away to provide a preliminary locking face 23.

The knuckle tail is provided with two locking faces 24 and 25, the latter projecting beyond the former.

When the locking pin is fully down its portion, 15 engages theiace 24 on the knuckle'tailand the face 23 away the pin to provide the face 23.

on the pin engages the face 25 on the tail, as shown in Fig. 5. In case the couplers are presented to each other on an angle as shown in Fig. 3, and as ocours on sharp curves the contact will not swing the knuckles inwardly far enough to permit the locking pin to drop fully. But in that case the knuckles swing in far enough to permit the pin to drop partof the way, to the position shown in Fig. (3, in which the face 24 of the tail is engaged by the face 23 on the pin, and the knuckle preliminarily locked. Consequently, the cars can be pulled on to a straight track, when the stretching and slacking of the train will automatically cause the knuckle to swing fully inwardly and the pin to dropto full lockingposition. This preliminary locking is made possible by cutting It dispenses with the necessity of making link and pin couplings on sharp curves and makes thc couplor. automatic under tail and thc l'acc -ol' the pin, namely, at 2.),

lilting means to tilt-pin the all conditions. I v

The hole in the floor of the head slightly elongated forwardly as shown at 27 so as to permit the lower end of thopin to swing fori'ardlylwhcn raised. The lifting means is attached in front of the center ofrgi'avity and on the front edge of the pin is a shoulder 30, so at when the pin is lifted sufficiently to free the locking portion from the knuckle tail,.ihe lower end of the pin swings forwardly by gravity and causes the-shoulder 30 to swing above the floor of the head. Consequently. if the cars do not immediately pull apart, and the locking lever is relcascd ihc shoulder 30 comes to rest on the floor and holds the pin in unlocked position so that when the cars do pull apart the knuckle is free to swing open. A slight projcctionnil. on the bottom of the knuckle Iail lies in t-hc'patlr oi the shtuilder 21 of the pin when the knuckle is thrown fully open an liprcvents the pin lion! being pulled cntircly out of the head.

The opt-ration ol' the coupler described is as follows: When the knuckle is locked the pin is iu its lowermost position with ihe locking portion l lying in front. oiand in co'niact'with the face 24 of the knuckle 23in contactwith the face 25 of the knucklc tail. "To unlock the coupler the pin'is raised until the shoulder" 20 is'abovc thotop of the knuckle tail. On account all the ccct 'ntric conhection of the lower end thereof will swing forwardly to bring thc shoulder above the floor of the head so that ii the locking lever is then released ihc pin automaticallyscls itself in unlocked position. 'lu-u tlic knuckle swings open the tail thorcol contacts with the lat-0'18 of the pin (which face is slightly cam shaped and has been brought in front of its normal position by the forward swinging ol' the lower end oi the pin) and crowds the pin backi wardly to disengage tho-shoulder 30 from the floor of the head. and thc'pin thus dislodged drops until the shoulder 20 ridt-s upon the segmental end of the knuckle tail.v In cas the "brakcman wants to rc-lock the knucklt= without lirsi pulling the cars apart. it is only 5 nct'cssary to slightly more or shake the pin, when it rcadily lit-corms dislodged and falls back to locking positionv 'lbo scgnn-ntalnrin it) is of sullicient length so that the pin rides on tlio same in all positions of the knuckle except in its: locked position. (onse quenlly. when the knuckle swing to locked posia knuckle pivoted thereto .cully movable locking member cally movable locking couplers together will not swing the knuckle tail inwardly far enough to permit the pin to drop to full locking position. In that case, however, the cutaway portion forming the face 23 permits the pin to drop part way, bringing the face 23 of the pin in front of the face 24 of the knuckle tail and thus getting a. preliminary locking sufficient to enable the cars to be pulled onto a straight track; when the alternate stretching and bunching of the cars causes the knuckle tail to swing inwardly to its full extent, thus permitting the pin to drop to'full locking position. When the pin is'raised merely to locking position the projection 21 does not contact with the face 22 of the knuckle tail, but if the pin be raised to a greater height contact between these parts occurs, and since the face 22 is inclined as shown, the efi'ect' is to'throw the knuckle open, thus avoiding the necessity of a .brakeman stepping in front of the car. All of these movements are secured by the mere lifting of the pin. The latter is guided and-firmly held in the roof and floor of the head and is backed for its full length by the solid metal of the head, and hence is very strong. The pin itself is of simple, solid construction, giving great strength and cheapness in manufacture, and s0 simplifying the coupler that derangement is practi-.

cally impossible.

What I claim is:

1. In a car coupler, the combination of a recessed head,

ing into the head, and a-vertically movable locking member in the head, said knuckle tall and locking member b0- lng so formed as to provide a primary locking when the knuckle tnil'is not swung fully into the head, and a full locking when said tail is swung fully into the head, and when the locking member is fully elevated tothrown the knuckle open.

2. In a car coupler, the combinatlonof l1 recessed head, a knuckle pivoted therein and provided with a tail projecting into the head; said tail having :1 segmental end portion provided with an inclined lower face and with side locking faces in different vertlcal pl anes, and a vertiin said head provided with (o-operating verilcal' locking faces in different vertical planes, and with a shoulder which, when the locking member is fully elevated. engages the inclined lower face of the knuckle tail and throws said knuckle open. I

3. In a car coupler, the combination of a recessed head, a knuckle pivoted thereto and provided with a tall projecting into the head, said tail having two side locking faces, one projecting in advance of the other, and a vertically movable locking pin'ln said head provided at its upper portion with two locking faces arranged to co-operate with the locking faces on the knuckle t'ail. said pin being cutaway below the locking faces to .form a recess to permit the which rides on the knuckle tail when the'latter swings open and a lower shoulder or projecting portion which engages the inclined lower face of the knuckle fail whenthe pin is fully elevated and serves to thrown the knuckle open. Y

4. ln a car coupler, a knuckle pivoted thereto and provided with a tail projccting into the head and having a side locking face and a segmental end portion provided with an inclined lower face projecting in advance pin guided in openings inthe roof and floor of said recessed head and having a sidet'ace. the upper portion of which is arranged to engage the" locking the combination of a recessed head,

of thelocking face, a vertiand provided with a tail project a segmental end portion provided with an inclined lower face and with face of the knuckle tail, said p'ln being cut away below the locking portion to form a recess to permit the knuckle tail to pass and provide an upper shoulder which rises on the knuckle tail when the latter swings open and also provide a lower shoulder or projecting portion which engages the inclined lower face of the knuckle tail when the pin is fully elevated and serves to throw theknuckle open.

5. In a car coupler, the combination of a recessed ,head, a knuckle pivoted thereto and provided with a tail projecting into the head and having a side locking face and a segmental end portion provided with an inclined" lower face which projects beyond the side locking face, vertically movable locking pin guided in openings in the roof and floor of said head and having a side face the upper portion of which is arranged to engage the locking face of the knuckle tail, said pin being cut away pin is elevated. to engage a projection on the head and hold said pin elevated.

6. In a car coupler, the combination of a recessed head,

a knuckle pivoted thereto and provided with a tail projecting into the head and having a side locking face and a segmental end portion provided with an inclined lower face which projects beyond said locking face, a vertically movable locking pin guided in openings in the roof and floor of said head and having a side face, the upper portion of which is arranged to engage the locking face of the knuckle tail, said pin being cut away below said locking portion to form a recess to permit the knuckle tail'to pass, the shoulder at the upper edge of said recess being arranged to ride on the knuckle tail when the latter-swings open, and the shoulder at the lower edge of said recess being arranged to engage the inclined lower-face of the knuckle tail when the pin is fully elcvated said pin also having a shoulder adapted, when the pin is elevated, to engage a projection on the coupler head and hold saidlpin elevated, the forward race of the recess in the pin being shaped to have the knuckle tail contact therewith when the latter swings open, thereby dislodging the pin from the projection on the floor of the coupler head.

In testimony whereof, I, the said-form W. EARTH, have hereunto set my hand.

JOHN W. EARTH.

Witnesses:

Bonnn'r C. TOTIEN, JOHN F. WILL. 

